Norman Lear News

Watch the video Lin Manuel Miranda sent to Norman Lear on his 100th Birthday, featuring a performance of a rewritten version of Al Jolson's 'April Showers.'

The extension will keep Kimmel on the network through a historic 23rd season, making him one of the longest-running talk show hosts in American television history. In addition to “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Kimmel is known for hosting back-to-back Oscars® ceremonies in 2017 and 2018, and “The Primetime Emmy® Awards” in 2012, 2016 and 2020.

Americans for the Arts announced that acclaimed novelist and playwright Ayad Akhtar will deliver the 34th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts & Public Policy. Akhtar will be introduced by Rockefeller Brothers Fund President and CEO Stephen Heintz, and the evening will feature a performance by artists Rez Abbassi and Kiran Ahluwalia.

Special guests set to celebrate Norman through speeches and comedy performances include Asante Blackk, George Clooney, Laverne Cox, Isabella Gomez, Emily Hampshire, Tom Hanks, Rita Moreno, Ms. Pat, Jay Pharoah, Rob Reiner, Aida Rodriguez and George Wallace. Musical performances paying tribute to iconic sitcom theme songs will also be featured/

Roundabout Theatre Company will present a special Benefit Concert Reading of The Pirates of Penzance, the Tony Award-winning musical adapted by Rupert Holmes, with music by Arthur Sullivan, libretto by W.S. Gilbert and direction by Scott Ellis. 

Honoring the life and legacy of the remarkable storyteller, activist and philanthropist Norman Lear, the one-night-only celebration features intimate conversations, special performances and surprise reunions that pay homage to the man behind some of television’s greatest stories in celebration of his 100th birthday.

West Side Story, In the Heights, Encanto, and more have been nominated for 2022 Imagen Awards. Nominees include Ariana DeBose, Rachel Zegler, Rita Moreno, Anthony Ramos, Leslie Grace, John Leguizamo, Stephanie Beatriz, Eden Espinosa, Frankie Rodriguez, and more.

Honoring the life and legacy of storyteller, activist and philanthropist Norman Lear, ABC will present “Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter.” The special will pay homage to the man behind some of television’s greatest stories and will feature a lineup of celebrity guests and musical performances to celebrate his 100th birthday.

The 4th Annual YI Love YiddishFest '22 (yiddishfest.org) is a six-day extravaganza of comedy, concerts and plays with contemporary Jewish celebrity headliners such as YidLife Crisis, Kosha Dillz, Avi Hoffman and a concert version of the NY hit musical Stars of David.

The GB Public Theater 2022 four-title Solo Fest concludes with Leave Your Fears Here (June 30 - July 10), a loving memoir written and performed by accomplished stage and screen actor James Morrison.

The Hollywood Museum has announced its 2022 salute to the LGBTQ+ community's contributions to the entertainment industry, it will once again present its ninth (due to the pandemic) annual 'Real to Reel: Portrayals and Perceptions of LGBTQ+ in Hollywood” exhibit in partnership with Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell (CD-13).

The GB Public Theater 2022 stage season presents four new solo performances over six weeks. All feature stories of humanity and demonstrate the power of a single voice to tell them.

Geffen Playhouse celebrated its 25th Anniversary and raised $1 million for the theater’s education, community engagement and artistic initiatives at its signature Backstage at the Geffen annual fundraiser held June 4, it was announced today. 

A&E Network will premiere the new two-part documentary event “Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution” exploring the progression of Black comedy and the comedians who have used pointed humor to expose, challenge and ridicule society’s injustices and to articulate the Black experience in America.

Ballet Hispánico’s Noche Tropicana Gala on May 16, 2022 at The Plaza Hotel raised more than $1.1 million in support of the organization’s artistic, educational, and community outreach programs in New York City, across the United States and around the world.

Ballet Hispánico, announces its 2022 Gala at The Plaza Hotel in New York City on Monday, May 16, 2022. The theme of the evening will be Noche Tropicana, a nod to the famous Tropicana Night Club of the 1940s and 1950s in Havana, Cuba.

Great Barrington Public Theater tickets now on sale. The season opens June 3 with Solo Festival, five weeks of daring, single-actor shows that run the spectrum of sensibilities, emotions, drama, comedy, history and music; written, performed and directed by local and nationally renowned artists.

Los Angeles talent manager Brad Lemack, who has also been a professor at the Emerson College Los Angeles Campus for 27 years, has been selected the recipient of the college’s 2022 Alan L. Stanzler Award for Excellence in Teaching. Lemack accepted the award at a ceremony at Emerson’s main campus in Boston this weekend. Lemack teaches courses he created specifically for students who come to Los Angeles for a semester of academic classes and internships in the industry, including The Business of Acting and Celebrity Crisis PR.

Stars in the House for Ukraine, an 11+ Hour telethon of the weekly streaming show, raised $139,000 for the International Rescue Committee's humanitarian efforts for those affected by the war in Ukraine. That total is inclusive of a generous matching donation by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, which matched the first $50,000 worth of donations.

More celebrity guests have been added to Stars in the House For Ukraine – the 10-hour telethon to raise money and awareness for those affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine. Hosted by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley, the show will air live on Saturday, March 26th from 12:00pm ET – 10:00pm ET.